Bletchley pick up vital win in battle against the drop

Bletchley remain in the Bucks & Oxon Premier division relegation zone but picked up a vital win over Drifters at Manor Fields to give themselves a chance of survival.

The 22-0 win leaves Bletchley five points adrift of Hungerford and safety - their first win since December 1.

The home side started strongly and held onto to possession from the starting whistle and made it count with a try from Jacob Lee with only five minutes on the clock. The unconverted try gave Bletchley an encouraging 5-0 lead.

The score acted as a catalyst for the visitors who pressurised Bletchley relentlessly in their 22, but the defence held firm time and time again. Just when it seemed Drifters would break the deadlock, there was always a Bletchley defender to stem the tide.

It took until the 37th minute before there was any further score, despite both sides working hard. It was scored completely against the run of play as Ciaran Murphy kicked and chased his clearance kick from Bletchley’s 22. A fortunate bounce of the ball saw him and a Drifter’s player compete for the ball and Murphy won. He kicked ahead twice and followed the ball over the try line to score a try which was converted by Tom Punter.

Bletchley found themselves going into half time 12-0 up.

The second half saw both teams evenly matched and both sides carried the ball well. Punter making hard yards with the ball in hand, causing the opposition all sorts of problems.

Eventually, Aaron Hughes broke the second half deadlock in the 22nd minute with a try from a Bletchley driving maul following a penalty for a high tackle.

Bletchley continued to play well with some telling breaks from Ben Robinson, Alan Briggs and Murphy. The pressure was rewarded with a bonus point try scored by Alex Grogan in the 32nd minute after some good handling from the backs. The score moved to 22-0 and Bletchley were secure in the knowledge they probably had the win under their belts.

Drifters certainly deserved to score some points in the game and came close with the ball held up over the line, giving them a 5m scrum as the last play of the match. Bletchley’s forwards were not in a charitable mood and turned the ball over in the scrum, allowing Grogan to kick the ball out and end the match.

Bletchley picked up five important league points and will travel to Gosford All Blacks next weekend feeling a bit more confident about their game plan and ability to execute it.